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Sunday, March 3, 2013

Now there's a headline to conjure with... Amaryllis belladonna must have one of the most beautiful official plant names, along with its cheeky common name of naked ladies...

The name Amaryllis belladonna was created by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 - Amaryllis taken from a shepherdess in Virgil's pastoral Eclogues, from the Greek word amarysso, meaning "to sparkle". There has been some controversy in the plant world about their classification, depending on whether Linnaeus's was a South American or a South African plant, and you can read all about it in Wikipedia.

Anyway, they are flowering in profusion at the moment in Roland's Wood - along the top ridge, under trees and out in the grassy areas, pink and white drifts in the sunshine.

Like the bluebells, these bulbs will continue to multiply and spread, along with the additional ones which have been planted, so come back in ten years time and it will be a sea of pink and white naked ladies - of the flowering variety!

If you take a wander past the beech trees in Roland's Wood on these summery days you'll hear the busy hum of thousands of bees.

It needs a better photographer than I am to capture the buzz of activity, but you can just see one in this picture, and trust me when I say that there were dozens more all zooming all around...

They are collecting honeydew, a sugary, sticky liquid which is exuded by woolly aphids - you can see their white fluffy bodies on the undersides of the leaves and along stems, and the sticky coating of their honeydew making the leaves all shiny. In this picture you can even see a droplet of it funneled down a leaf to the branch, ready to splash down and varnish the leaves below, making them irresistible to the bees.

The honeydew can become covered with black sooty mould which may look bad but once it gets colder and the aphids go, the mould dries up and falls off the plant.

Isn't it great to think of Roland's Wood providing such bounty for bees which are having a harder time of it these days...

Contact

If you have any questions, suggestions, or would like to contribute photos or content to this blog, please contact me on jeannie.skinner@dia.govt.nzThanks, Jeannie

Roland's Legacy

Roland's Wood is a four hectare piece of "English beech woodland", with a Northland twist, on Inlet Road, Kerikeri, generously bequeathed to the people - and dogs - of Kerikeri by Roland Sansom.

"Roland Sansom's incredible generosity and foresight will give future generations of strollers, dog walkers, bird watchers, gardeners and dendrologists much to be grateful for. Without realizing it Roland Sansom was a dedicated dendrologist; his Wood will be his lasting memorial." Gordon Collier

November - all the spring leaves are out now, renga renga lilies are a picture, and forest pansy with its handsome bronze foliage.

December sees the summery agapanthus and the astilbes flowering.

Summer - January to MarchCome for a shady walk under a canopy of green leaves

Autumn - April to JuneEnjoy the autumn colours of the deciduous trees - maples, beeches, birches, tupeloes and oaks... and sasanqua camellias are flowering too.

Winter - July and AugustThe early bulbs start flowering in July and August - jonquils, daffodils, winter cheer, and there are flowers on the rhododendrons, magnolias, and camellia japonica... The swathes of orange and red clivia start flowering at the end of August too.

Welcome to this blog

I have created this blog to celebrate Roland's Wood and all the people who are working so hard to make it a place for the community - and their dogs - to come and enjoy.

I enjoy the woods all year round, there is always something to notice and appreciate, but I am absolutely entranced by the bluebells each September, a blue haze stretching across the hilltop, taking me back to woodland walks - complete with dog, during my childhood in Surrey and Sussex.

I visited John and Judy Horrell's garden, led there by some out-of-town friends who are enthusiastic gardeners, and after admiring the gorgeous garden the Horrells have created, conversation turned to Roland's Wood. John Horrell is there most days, planting, pruning and planning, and he has a vision for making Roland's Wood all that it can be.

Thank you Roland, and to all the others, especially John Horrell, who are helping Roland's Wood flourish.